#first ep is literally utena

[foxboybutch]

MECHA SPACE UTENA???

[fagmegumi]

i know I should focus on writing and not poke hornets nests but. though saionji haters of the “i dont care about him & dont wanna hear about him” variety are completely valid . If you for real think saionji is a villain the way akio is a villain. you completely missed the point of the show

[cruelsister-moved2]

watching sailor moon and learning about the scrapped SuperS movie script makes it so obvious ikuhara literally just thinks masculine women are really cool and understands that a lot of girls admire them and enjoy seeing masc/fem lesbian relationships lol so it makes peoples one-note analysis of utena's masculinity fall even flatter than before bc you really shouldnt be overlooking the commitment to like extremely positive portrayals of female masculinity in his work just to be like "we're ALL princes and princesses in the end!!!11!!!!!" forthe billionth time

[transmascutena]

sorry for talking about this again but it is actually insane to me that people say that what happens to utena in ep 33 isn't rape because "a lot of girls lose their virginity that way, it's normal." like HEY MAN HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT MAYBE IT FUCKING SHOULDN'T BE???? have you considered that maybe part of the point of this scene is that people's first experience with sex should be safe and comfortable and not something terrifying that happens when you're too young to fully understand it?? like how does insisting that it's Not Actually Rape help anybody. the idea that the term gets "overused" in this kind of context is such bullshit, because it's actually really fucking important for people to know that while being nervous is obviously common for your first time, you're not supposed to be scared and your partner is DEFINITELY not supposed to be ignoring that fact, and that if that happens to you it's not just "bad sex" or whatever it's fucking assault. like hey, even if you somehow ignore the myriad of power-dynamics at play in this context that makes the consent invalid in the first place, if your partner refuses to look at you or engage with anything you're doing and is talking about other things and making excuses to go home and literally fucking dissociating it probably means they're not having a good time and you should stop . immediately. because guess what, consent doesn't mean "they said yes once and that means i can do whatever i want forever" it can be revoked, and that includes non-verbally ESPECIALLY if you don't have a fucking safe-word, and if you ignore that deliberately you are a rapist. simple as that.

[iwtvdramacd18]

hi goat hi uhm some questions :D 4, 11, 15, 19, and/or 31? and of course, 40 :)

Hiiiii Dre <333

4. Say you’re recommending the show right now, how would you pitch it?

IWTV has quickly risen up to Utena levels for me where I'm so in love with it that I can't properly explain WHY it means to much to me and why I like it so much in like a proper way I'd just have to be like: listen. Trust me. Maybe show a clip....the one they used on Norton (dabble in fucker) was actually a really good example of like great Louis scene but also removed enough from any sort of spoiler context

11. Has your favorite episode remained the same since you first finished the season? 

It has not! Somewhere between my rewatches episode 6 has become my firm fav episode, I think before then it was the first ep.

15. What were your favorite costumes? 

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the Dubai matching funeral fits

19. What was your favorite dialogue of season one? 

Very predictable of me but "62 and a half kilograms" "...what?" Love how it tells us so much about Louis and Armand but like in this very veiled and constrained way

31. What’s your most anticipated season two storyline?

I want to know like. How Armand and Louis are still together/ if they did part and got back together later? There's literally so much stuff there like. Claudia constantly haunting the narrative with it too.

40. If you made any fanworks of your own, what are your personal favorites? Throw yourself some flowers! 

In terms of fics Prey Drive and Wolfkiller might be my favs right now kinda in terms of wow I really did that? I pulled that off? I was so scared especially for Wolfkiller that it would turn out bad but they didn't!

Fanart wise honestly idk I've drawn so much... I'm quite fond of this armand piece even tho its not like the actual version of it and its still not done haha

And then also the Louis outfit lineup too!

Aaaaand the snarling Lestat and Armand (and Louis) set

[dictee]

utena

First impression: her gnc slay

Impression now: my beloved sweetheart angel

Favorite moment: I can’t pick one i love how she’s genuinely a little stupid i love when she literally shatters the world apart with the force of her compassion. maybe when saionji and touga say don’t you know only fools believe in friendship or whatever and she says don’t you know? i am a fool. 😭💓 or during the ball ep when she tears off the table cloth to make anthy a dress upending all of the plates and also rips off her own dress to reveal she’s been wearing her boys uniform underneath even though it was a sleeveless dress. show of all time this is making me want to rewatch so bad

Idea for a story: the only utena fic i ever started goes like this it’s post canon utena and anthy are in their mid/late twenties and have a little apartment . nanami has followed in anthy’s footsteps and found her way out and showed up on their doorstep and she’s sleeping on their couch and realizing gay people are real. she has a nightmare about ohtori and goes into their bedroom and anthy (half asleep) pulls a gun on her bc she sleeps w a gun under her pillow ☺️ . then utena and anthy give nanami a hair cut

Unpopular opinion: i’m never sure what constitutes an unpopular opinion w rgu i can’t think of any rn

Favorite relationship: anthy sorry to be boring they’re literally everything to me but THEN!!!! wakaba they’re so real and i love class s trope done w intent

Favorite headcanon: well related to above anthy cuts her hair for her ^^ also i like to imagine how they would dress out of ohtori as adults and i think she would wear oversized basketball or cargo shorts

[ninashiki]

So I was thinking about my Mikage/Nemuro name analysis again, but specifically the Nemuro one. Quoting from my old post:

根/Ne: lit. 3. “root (of all evil, etc), source, origin, cause, basis” or lit. 4. “one’s true nature” 室/Muro: lit. 1. “greenhouse, icehouse, cellar”.

So Nemuro could mean literally “the greenhouse of one’s true nature” or “greenhouse origin” etc. 

Nemuro met Mamiya in the greenhouse, yadda yadda, he was gay his true nature is gay. BUT!!! I only just now made the connection that Utena literally sees Anthy for the first time (that she can remember) in the greenhouse! Right after she sees her, she says: “Why does the scent of roses always make me think of the past?” - Ep.1

Utena’s true nature, her real origins, the cause and basis for everything: Anthy. 

[toxic-mothers-tourney]

Toxic propaganda: Prospera Mercury/Elnora Samaya (Mobile Suit Gundam: the Witch from Mercury)

that one post that said "gundam witch from mercury asks the bravest question. what if gendo ikari was a milf”

She raised her daughter to be extremely obedient and to worship the ground she walked on and then threw her into a dangerous revenge scheme w/o ever explaining what was going on and basically used her as a pawn in her ridiculous chess gambit against the guy who got her husband and eventually original daughter killed....

i appreciate that g witch asks the question "what if akio from utena was a lesbian bait mommy”

Queen of Gaslight GirlBoss and Gatekeep

she's been manipulating her daughter for literally her whole life and her daughter (suletta) believes every word she says. despite how distressed her suletta had been over witnessing her kill someone, she manages to easily sway suletta that Killing Is Fine because she has so much influence over her thoughts by now because If You Say So Mom, Then It Must Be Right! she put her other daughter INSIDE OF THE GUNDAM. THERE IS A CHILD INSIDE OF THE GUNDAM. SHE'S BEEN IN THAT GUNDAM FOR LIKE, ROUGHLY 17 YEARS. she's also trying to play literally everyone else around her like she manipulates everyone so she comes out on top. she;'s SO fucked up WHAT is her problem i wanna KNOW WHY SHE DOES THIS

Gaslighting queen gosh I hate her so much grrrrr

No better a rancidly toxic mother than one who's gaslit and brainwashed her oldest daughter into a killing machine and the youngest planting her conscious into a Gundam for the sake of vengeance!

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss champion, willing to use and discard a daughter in the name of her quest for vengeance—regardless of her probably genuine love for her. Talking about Prospera is difficult without spoilers, but there's something genuinely chilling seeing how her daughter Suletta deliberately warp her own perceptions in response to the slightest prompting from her mother.

(Spoilers alert) original daughter btw had her soul basically sucked into a mobile suit to preserve her consciousness as her body died and then prospera cloned a bunch of copies and kept one alive to be used as a pilot for said mobile suit. And after all this she then abandoned said artificial daughter in the name of giving her freedom and literally left her floating weightless out in space all alone as she left. Moms be like that amirite

(Contains spoilers for ep 18 and everything before) This woman decided that it would be neat to raise her daughter (or the one surviving one) with zero autonomy of her own. Like so much of what Suletta says or does is a result of this woman and not in an okay way. Suletta has admitted that she would give up all of her dreams and all of her morals of her mother told her to just because Prospera has managed to convince Suletta that any choice she makes is entirely correct. Suletta was also raised as a tool of revenge for a lot of her life, albeit an abandoned one. Also she shoved the spirit of her first child into a robot, and while Prospera is ultimately working entirely in that child's favor now so that she may live a normal life, she did clone that kid more than once afterwards, presumably with bad results until Suletta. Not especially manipulative and more just shitty, but I need as many bad non points as I can get to advocate for this horrid mother

- turned her first daughter into a giant robot

-brainwashed current daughter into being an obedient tool for her plans

-manipulating daughter's love interest into a bunch of stuff, including abandoning her

[cephalopolis-life]

Some thoughts on Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

AFter watcing the first two episodes of Gwitch i think theres a few themes we cna clearly extrapolate- along with parallels we can draw with Utena.

I think the first few themes we can clearly draw out is the hypercapitalist society. Theyre ruled by corporations nad in it everyone is a slave in some way to the Corp. In a way this almost reflects a cyberpunk corpo aesthetic. People are tools for their corporation no matter who they are. We can see this clearly in Miorine and Guel as well, they are tools of their families and notihng more. Miorine- much like hte rose bride, is a prize to be won.

Suletta is also a tool. Unlike Miorine, she isn't a completely unwilling tool, she is in school willingly. We see this not only in her enthusiasm but in the accompanying short story. Suletta is excited to be in school, she dreams of going to earth, of being free from mercury and the weight of her mother's reputation. That said she also wants to please her mother. She even wears her hair in a band like that because her mother suggested it. While she doesn't know of Prosperas vengeance plot, she is already an unwitting part in it.

Both Suletta and Miorine are tools in their parents machinations. Suletta, unknowing but willing and Miorine rebellious and desperate- and together i think there is comfort in that. For Suletta having someone wh understands the system she is integrating into is a comfort, and for Miorine having a groom who is willing to give her freedon and agency and who is already on board with helping her escape is something she has never had. The validation of having someone who willingly supports them is part os what will bring them together.

I also think its interesting to see the parallels to utena and where those break- Suletta is a shy nervous girl while Utena is loud, confident, and sure of herself. Yet when we see Suletta in Ariel suddenly we can see that she is strong and secure. She literally has to don her own armour to be able to face the world but when she does she fights with confidence and terrifying accuracy.

On the other hand our Anthy stand in Miorine is seen tending to her plants, even giving suletta one to taste. She longs for freedom, to leave the world in which she is trapped in, in which she is a prize and her worth is only that. But in her we see a break from the mold, unlike anthy, so broken and worn from repeating the cycle of revolution again and again, Miorine does not accept her status as a tool. She actively rebels and seeks to leave her confinement. First she looks to leave for earth, but upon meeting Suletta she fights for her instead.

So with all this in mind, if we think of Utena- which one of them has the power to Revolutionize the world? Miorine gives up her freedom, in a literal sense, to go and save suletta. Through meeting suletta she begins to actively ush back against the system. As if having her groom gives her the power to revolutionize the world. Suletta- on the other hand is passive in ep 2, she quietly waits and accets her fate, she has never been the prize to be won yet she is the one who inpired her liberator, and he is the one intriguing others around her.

Its a role reversal that not only reminds us that this isnt Utena, but that the power to change things might not come from posession one individual but from broth of them coming together to create space for themselves.

Overall I'm so excited to see where this goes- I really hope they continue to call back to Utena and the tempest and create a plot that is truly worth following! also please don't be yuri bait…

[delirium-charlotte]

started watching she-ra and only watched eps 1 and 2. initial reactionary thoughts are below the cut:

I think overall I genuinely wasn't expecting for the story already be really strong from the start and it sets up for a lot of crazy conflict potential which I can see why it would have gone on for at least a full precure season which I believe it is?

it has a lot of conflict points from - shadow weaver in general (esp with catra and adora) - catra already having that CRAZY talk when she tries to get adora back (HOLY COW!!!!!!) - glimmer (we're in the middle of our arc but I don't think we get to realize this until the end of ep 2 when she gives adora the sword fully) - adora and the state of "what does it mean to be a hero" - adora potentially facing not a great start as a "horde" - just the concept of being outcasted in general (not one of us) - catra!!!!!!!!!! catra ohhh my god

I think the societal aspects of itself are crazy enough already and I really enjoy how it's starting off that 1. we have this deeper connection to the "enemy" and that 2. the "hero" is not from some higher moral ground (?) from the start (technically yes she's not but her origin at first is conflicted and adora seems rather steadfast on holding her moral ground but the fact that catra is the enemy and they have five whole seasons for this I assume there will be times when adora really doesn't understand where catra is coming from bc she is naive!!! (we've been hit with this from the start!!! + catra literally calls her out on it) and then adora will begin to question again for what exactly is she fighting bc I assume the enemy is also made up of "outcasts" of society if shadow weaver was collecting orphans and such. unless this was just some plot device and doesn't have any deeper societal meaning. but whatever it can still be a plot device for adora to go hey why can't we save them? are they not the same as us and then will be met with the same mindset we first saw glimmer/adora have @ each other at the start)

also I am slightly honing on the fact that "princesses" are dangerous...... they hold this greater power.......... vs when adora is she ra she pulls it out in the same way as utena and so I am thinking about utena princesses according to our hero/prince adora are dangerous bc they can't control their powers....... witch much. (a girl is always a princess and a witch.)

the thing that really made me crash for catra was when she was telling adora to go home (WCHIH. WAS ALSO FRAMED BY THE NOT-CAREFUL VIEWER. WILL BE SEEN AS ORCHESTRAED BY SHADOW WEAVER BUT. I BELIEVE YES. CATRA BELIEVED ADORA WAS GOING TO COME BACK TO THEM ANYWAY AND WANTED TO GIVE HER HER OWN SPACE. AND THEN GOT SCARED THE MOMENT SHE SAW ADORA WEAR THAT FLOWER) and how she said specifically that the two of them have each other and it doesn't really matter when adora asked how she could know that shadow weaver had been priming both to be mindless soldiers and yet stay and so it's just. AAH!!!!! SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO. SHE TRULY WANTED TO BE WITH ADORA !?!? AND  . AND. SHE FELT SO BETRAYED WHEN SHE SAW SHE RA................ even when she has her initial conversation with adora regarding her promotion badge she had been assuming that they would be together still.... which leads to the talk of them sneaking that aircraft and catra keeps navigating it to go out and out as if she wanted to keep adora away from the main "evil" of it all for a little while longer (TT)

I really found it fun at how the writing immediately had glimmer pretty much confess to their feelings to adora as a breaking point? instead of having it be something that gets instantly forgotten until 3 eps later or something and finally they bond but the bond is strangely very too friendly despite the two very much being at odds for a while and by then the audience would have probably really hated glimmer? and also I am really curious to what glimmer's purpose is... for now I'm indifferent to glimmer, she just is very much a kid and her arc seems a little rough but I want to see how they handle it I think though a lot of fans seem like they'd mischaracterize her

although idk if I'm supposed to be approaching the show more from the perspective I have now or to just accept it all ? like some things are just not as deep as I'm thinking. but it sure would be nice if there was more commentary.

overall already ep 1 and 2 have be on board it seems rather solid and like a really good precure season... I can’t wait to think about it some more

[amboato]

While HIkaru is all happy and crying tears of joy over Lantis waking up, all I can think about is this:

Gotta love 90′s shoujo animation tropes. 

[anolyso]

Utena thoughts...about 2 weeks later

I've been putting it off for way too long and so most of my thoughts stopped being fresh. On top of watching way too many analysis vids post-watch, but still I do at least want to put my 2cents of Revolutionary Girl Utena out there for the world.

Utena is perhaps one of the most famous "magical girl"/shoujo action shows out there for not only it's transgressive themes of relationship abuse and low-key pretty much being the poster girl for like actual feminist perspective on/in anime...but also just doing it all in both a heavily allegorical and understated, yet super over-the-top stylish fashion

But that's it's reputation preceding itself, is Utena worth while all these years? The answer is Yes, but it also really shows it's age and budget in pacing and repetition, tho as an appreciator for "behind the scenes" compromises in art, it's more showcasing Ikuhara's talent in working around both taboo and long-form budget constraints with just well-thought out and iconic imagery that - while episodic and formulaic - is just very good at filling the 39 eps with feasts for the eyes.

Utena broadly is about tomboy Utena with memories long ago after her parents died being "saved" by a princely figure like a princess...except she's so enthralled by the nostalgia that instead she becomes a full on Prince herself and receives a dueling ring to fight in the Ohtori Acadamy secret duels for "engagement" to Rose Bride Himemiya Anthy.

Utena is divided between 4 arcs, only the first and last being Manga adapted from hearsay:

1: Student Council Saga

2: Black Rose Saga

3: Akio Ohtori Saga

4: Apocalypse

From back to forth I'd say that Akio + Apoc is more just escalation into the finale while Black Rose being anime original comes off as a glorified side-character study which while complementing the secondary cast, feels like one of those Anime movies that has to say "but if you don't watch this part, it's pretty much optional for the main plot" despite it also actually introducing the most important antagonist within it's margins.

More importantly, it's the Student Council (arc and the actual people) that lay the foundation but also a large part of the show's focus which ironically puts Utena in the background until like almost the finale and some in-between developments, so it's less "Utena (and Anthy Himemiya)'s story" until the very end, but more like a showcase of how fucked up the system at large is (pin in that).

By the Council themselves is:

Kyouichi Saionji: The biggest jobber, like actually introduced as the most despicable loser ep 1 and proceeds to be a complete arrogant joke for the rest of the show. Honestly in another shojo "love" story, they'd find some way to redeem him but semi-compellingly they turn him into like an Aqua-lad type pathetic brat with an inferiority complex to the actual Student head

Miki Kaoru: the naive "nice, non-threatening soft boy" that also just never actually listens to the girls around him. Probably adds more complexity to the whole patriarchal idea on analytic reflection since yeah, the whole "nice guy finishes last" plays up better when the kid comes off as that "ally" energy of wanting to save Himemiya from being the Rose Bride but also low-key won't actually not just do the duels and win her cuz he's that sorta wishy-washy hypocrite. Arguably the least hateable guy in the cast (minus mascot Chu-Chu)

Juri Arisugawa: TRAGIC LESBIAN TRIANGLE LOVE. Probably the biggest point to of both "not-explicitly homosexual" but also really freaking obvious since her entire story is her girlfriend stealing her "boy crush" when actually she was crushing on her and being pretty much frustrated throughout her story as pining most of it. It's quaint by today's standards but also like damn girl, get over her she was like the worst back stabbing bitch (literally if Black Rose counts)

Nanami Kiryuu: SPEAKING OF QUEEN BITCH, it's been a long time since I've watched a High School girl bully and honestly it's kinda refreshing. If Miki is "soft-boy uwu" Nanami is a brat that gets her come-uppance often, featured prominently as an anime only with the MOST filler/comedic episodes but also not low-key, being the most out-spoken actual brother complex ironically spins perhaps the biggest twist and ironic relationships of "I love my brother but not-like-that but also like-that" by the end. Mostly comedic relief but I find her inclusion to actually add a lot more to juxtapose...

Touga Kiryuu: Big Student Council Prez himself, the first arc antagonist and also a strong foil to Saionji and later a stepping stone for Akio. Touga is THE image of a Princely Playboy Heart-Throb that in any other Shoujo romance would have the main girl win him over from all those "other girls" despite him being apathetic if not outright manipulative of them. Good thing Utena is better than that and really puts a spotlight on just not-actually-ok his power hunger for "the power to bring the world revolution" that leads him to heavily objectify Anthy, arguably even more than Misogynist Trophy Girlfriend beater Saionji, since he doesn't even see her as more than a means to an end despite professing and looking the Prince part but lacking all the actual virtues.

The Student council matters more since they're characters and subsequent tragic flaws are the ACTUAL meat of the show and on second rumination actual shows more how fucked up the system/gender dynamic/power hierarchy is since - while it blatantly fucks over Juri who can't just outright say who she likes - also show almost it's own sub-text of Masculine failings: Saionji desperately clinging to being TOXIC MASCULINE™ and completely falling short underneath Touga; Miki's "nice boy" act belying him trying to replace his low-key nostalgia for his sister (also a bitch, but apparently was more like Nanami in the manga); and best yet Touga being the quintessential "Prince in all but actual behavior" by emulating a cutthroat and Machiavellian world view but coming up empty because well, he's just an illusion of a prince...but that leads in way more to the big finale piece where I'll reintroduce the actual story's main trio

Utena Tenjou: Tomboy Prince with brain empty except for lesbian thoughts. Honestly probably what every western "STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN" archetype wishes they were since while having very tomboyish personality in athletics, blunt speaking and also VERY oblivious to the actual plot for REAL DRAMATIC IRONY, but also never actually demeaning her being feminine partially due to her love of an childhood prince and how she maintains her relationship with both her friend Wakaba and later Anthy. Honestly mostly a plot device after S1 until she gets ACTUAL development by the very end and instead kinda bumbles her way into undoing the entire REVOLUTION OF THE WORLD. I kinda wish she felt either more cognizant or at least felt like she was developing/properly rebuking the rest of the cast's power obsessions but I guess that's for the movie.

Anthy Himemiya: Actual Trophy Wife with a dark secret (darker than ski- wait no that's terrible scratch that). Set-up very much as an immediate princess in distress while also being the most femme Yamato Nadeshiko, Anthy being the Rose Bride as a literal prize who acts and behaves as whom she's "engaged" with desires while otherwise being quiet, wry, mysterious and noticably submissive, by the end it actually plays up into THE BIG REVEALS of just how abused she's been into a hopeless acceptance...like y'know actual abuse victims.

Akio Ohtori: Grade A Antagonist, probably the most insidious I've seen a villain in a while, Akio is notable for, back in 1997, being perhaps the big go-to of actual deconstructing the facade of a whole shoujo genre's "hots for a teacher/sexy man putting the moves" and highlighting how actually exploitative and abusive a person like that really is. Being Himemiya's brother (somewhat justified in the manga by both being a weird Sailor Moon-esque reincarnation of gods/godesses of Dios), despite how much of his motives are runing the background and how the entire back story is  uh...brought up in like barely in the last arc with little lead up (some scenes feel like they'd be a full melodrama season and they just have like 1 scene in the final arc episodes) he manages to one-up Touga (in the plot as well) by instead of "just" objectifying girls, not-just-flat out saying Utena looks best as a princess, but y'know the fact that he is implicitly yet constantly exploiting and victim-blaming Anthy for her own suffering for "the power of Dios/Revolution of the world" turns it on its head

I've spent all this time on characters but in truth a lot of the meat of the show relies again on the Council Members fleshing out the issues of system leading to outright divorcing "being a Prince" (heroic altruistic virtues) and "being a man" (considering like all but maybe the comedic relief have some deliberately misogynistic behavior) and beyond just the plot (or rather character) synopsis, the talent goes far more in how it's framed, the symbolic/allegorical shots, the repetition adding a good episode formula flow to character showcases, probably the most "tasteful" allusion to uh...*ahem* sexual abuse that so many other edgier/prentious shows fumble. Both in how intimidating yet understated it's foreshadowing is until they hard-reveal it despite never explicitly naming it even tho it sends Nanami into hysterics

Really it's both a massive blessing and reason for it's cult beloved status for it's aesthetics but also it's burden, for being a full 39 episodic season by season character development study of everyone BUT the main trio except for snippets and the very end that makes it greatly appreciable as a legitimate work of art.

What I wanted more to say however (long overdue) is that a large part of following is, visibly at least, western feminist critiques and yes while it almost seems like Utena fits the "deconstructing patriarchy" story like a glove...it's weird how almost none of them actually can give a good historical account of actual Japanese female/gender/sexuality norms nor Anime contemporaries actually were. Like Tenchi Muyo and Berserk came out the same year (Cardcaptor Sakura the next) and despite how you can "feel" the influence in lots of modern shows like SHAFT's signature visual imagery cuts or many WESETERN shows having straight scene references to Utena....almost no one has a similar feel to Utena until like Princess Tutu comes out.

Really tho probably should've watched Utena and then Tutu because while it's undeniable that Utena is a major pillar of shoujo re-codification - what with everyone before Utena was saying they thought it'd be like a Rose of Versaille or Lady Knight rip-off...whose laughing now? - it's almost like there's a missing link between it and it's major western fanbase (probably with what few anime did get overseas, this one probably rose to the top), or how very noticeable there IS an influence on it's genre in Japan

Almost none of the big analyst fans actually know A) it's not "a deconstruction of Magical Girls" since despite Ikuhara working on Sailor Moon just before this, almost none of the tropes line up and instead more with Shoujo genre as a whole. or  one of the major inspirations was Takarazuka theater.

And this is not to dismiss how inspirational it is to it's western fandom, but while I am notably cynical towards placing things on pedestals, there's probably something about cultivating the whole pop-culture feminist reading commune with people making weird time-loop theories while kinda most of it is just filling in a mad-lib mostly thanks to Ikuhara just keeping things on the vague and letting the audience take away their own perspective.

Again, most of the show is completely sub-textual or visually/symbolically depicted and never stated nor properly defines it's weird key words (End of the World, Revolutionize the World, Power of Dios, Rose Bride, all things said constantly but never really said what they "mean". But that's also perhaps its charm, in it's allegory and very Death of the Author approach, it has definitely allowed it's fan theorizing and appreciation to flourish so there's something there for that.

Ultimately I'd say Utena the TV series is great more so for what it isn't...or rather I should say it's great for not just subverting Shoujo tropes and archetypes for the Japanese audience but also that despite dealing with some very serious and heavy subjects in obtuse and perhaps understated ways for the time, people have allowed it to be put on it's pedestal because they can easily fit it in themselves.

Honestly though, not that a more "straight forward" approach wouldn't detract from Utena but I will say that the movie, Adolescence of Utena, is very much the best encapsulation of what Utena strives to be (for another big blog post) and while the TV series has plenty of time and flexes it's directorial muscles with budget constraints and season pacing UNrestrained, the movie will trim a lot of the fat

[spiribia]

idk from when is your utena character tier ask but tumblr just showed it to me so forgive me of this is too out of the blue but there's a tiermaker of utena episodes ranked and it features only screenshots, no episode names, and i STILL identified every single one even though i couldn't bring myself to actually parse them out but oh my god to this day i wonder if the series simply has such a visual identity or if i simply,,,,, watched too much of it. possibly both! and all of this was to ask: do you have a top 5 utena episodes or something of the sort? no pressure! just got curious.

that ask was from yesterday, so no worries! also i looked up the tiermaker of utena episodes and if it's the same one you're pretty good haha - i could identify most of them but a couple i feel i wouldn't have been so sure about if i hadn't realized that they were in chronological order. i think my consistent personal favorites are probably eps 34 (i was a neutral enjoyer of the show until i hit this episode - yeah i know, literally its final arc - and it flipped some kind of switch in my brain and made me berserk forever. the reveal that it was anthy in her childhood & retrospectively the symbolism of the photography), 37 (a lot of my favorite scenes like the window scene & the badminton scene & the cantarella scene are in it, and i like that it's built up to with such interpersonal tension only to come down to various forms of friendship and solidarity instead), and 39 (watching it blew me up). i think i'm pretty biased toward final arc episodes in this ranking because of lingering impressions from my first and only actual start-to-finish watchthrough of the show, so it might be different if i ever went back - but i think the juri episodes were probably also pretty standout to me

[owlmylove]

su future liveblog

ok spoilers!! but uh rhetorically speaking:

first ep explicitly implies Steve’s daily schedule has been awakening a new gem EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and then spending the day explaining the past to them & familiarizing them with the future

thats what he’s been doing every day for the last few years

rebeccaimbald.jpg

also first ep is a love letter to classic shounen fight choreo and i love it

AND THEN after this boy, so accustomed to Always Being Right comes in with false solutions to Amethyst’s correct-and-well-researched work the entire ep is literally just deconstructing white savior bullshit and presumptuous hero mentalities

second episode is just “so you’re used to being the helper archetype” and third ep is “hot disgruntled twinks Do Not Forgive Their Exes; the show” and i am Here for it

also: turns out every rose quartz/avatar of pink diamond’s personality is just a different kind of manic pixie dream entity 

THE REPHRASING OF THE ROSE QUARTZES AS NO LONGER MOTHER FIGURES BUT SIBLINGS + HOW IT INSTANTLY RECONTEXTUALIZES THEIR VISIBLE SIMILARITIES HAS ME BROKEN OH MY GODDD

episode 4 is a love letter to mahou shoujo costume upgrades and we are here for the ribbon wands

(also an incredible commentary on how abuse victims restructure + repress + dismiss memories of abuse ok)

also these 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes hello yes

ALSO THESE PRINCESS UTENA VIBES HELLO YES

im still emotionally compromised but- [sees PP’s head on Pearl’s shoulder] OK THIS IS FINE IM FINE

[realanimeguru]

Heyyy could you recommend any good high school setting anime∩^ω^∩

.....BRUH... high school anime is half of all anime!! XD nevertheless i will do it. i’m gonna categorize again since high school settings are so broad. i’m also gonna try to avoid the most obvious ones and go for lowkey titles instead, so, i’m only reccing titles with under 200k members (listed on MAL.)

Comedy:Silver Spoon (from the author of Fullmetal Alchemist. a kid who moves to the countryside to do and learn farm stuff, really does not know how to do or learn farm stuff)Asobi Asobase (might seem like a moe “cute girls doing cute things” show, but the girls are genuinely funny and expressive. the true mark of comedy is ugly faces)SKET Dance (a gag comedy. some would call it high school Gintama, which it actually had a crossover with once) Handa-Kun (a prequel to Barakamon, but isn’t necessary to watch both. a look into the main character of Barakamon’s high school days)O Maidens in Your Savage Season (a non-explicit sex comedy. an embarrassing but relatable coming of age story) Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (a very quirky group of girls aspire to be animators. you’ve probably seen the opening meme’d a time or two) High Score Girl (a gamer romcom set in the 90s with real 90s video games. recommended especially if you’re interested in that)Please Take My Brother Away (a personal fav...! a real depiction of sibling relationships. the brother looks like a cool guy but he’s a grade A dumbass) You and Me. (also fond of this one. a calm, soothing comedy. not laugh out loud hysterical, just comfy and cute)School Babysitters (also comfy and cute. about babysitter boys)Cromartie High School (an absurdist gag comedy. very bizarre)Hidamari Sketch (also comfy and cute. girls go to an art school)Wasteful Days of a High School Girl (similar to Daily Lives of High School Boys but with an all female cast. i like the short-haired girl who is definitely a lesbian) Princess Princess (a guy transfers to an all guys school, who turn the prettiest first years into “princesses.” a kind of slow comedy but i’m also fond of this one) Drama: The Anthem of the Heart (a movie. from the staff who did Anohana. a girl cursed so she can’t speak finds out she can still sing.)Bloom Into You (shoujo-ai. has a melancholic tone. a girl who believes she can’t fall in love with anyone and a girl who is deeply in love with her)Smile Down the Runway (a poor designer boy and a model girl too short to be a model try to follow their passions in an industry that doesn’t want them) Sounds of Life (dramrom in a Koto club. i get the feeling that it’s similar to Chihayafuru, but with more music) His and Her Circumstances (dramromcom. honestly wasn’t sure whether to put this in comedy or not, but it has enough drama to be put here. enemies to friends to lovers)Electromagnetic Girlfriend (2 episode OVA, eps are 40 minutes long. a mystery thriller about a guy who suspects the girl who has a crush on him of murder)Classmates (shounen ai. movie. a sweet, quiet, slice of life.)Hana yori Dango (a 90s dramrom. lots of love triangle drama, if you’re into that)

Sports:Welcome to the Ballroom (a dramromcom dancing anime. by Production IG, who did Haikyuu!!)Aoharu x Machinegun (airsoft gun competitions. like Ouran High School Host Club but with weapons. this one’ll be a hit or miss with some but i liked it. the main girl has rabies)Ace of the Diamond (honestly really surprised this was under 200k! Sawamura is a baseball boy who likes shoujo manga and he is made of love.)Stars Align (a tennis anime. i’m plugging this again because i really want more people to watch it) Big Windup! (not surprised this was under 200k at all. REALLY deserves more attention. also about baseball. has really good character writing)Tsurune (archery anime. one of the gayer ones (episode 10 fuckin wrecked my ass.) made by KyoAni, who did Free!)The Prince of Tennis (tennis! also one of the gayer ones. a lot more popular in Japan. got No. 32 on the official NHK top 100 most popular anime in 2017)Baby Steps (also tennis! but far straighter! has a good, genuine romantic subplot)Cross Game (baseball. a pitching girl and a batting boy rivalry romance)Yowamushi Pedal (bicycle racing. an otaku joins a biking club on the condition that if helps them win then they’ll join his own dying anime club)

Fantasy/Supernatural/ECT:Beastars (i’m gonna count this as fantasy since the characters aren’t human. basically zootopia but SERIOUS and darker.)Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (i am HIGHLY recommending this one. especially the manga but the anime works too. about a girl who becomes a ghost’s assistant. it’s a very good supernatural romance)Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (about a human who goes to a demon school and is terrified but ends up becoming friends with all the scary demons. it’s spoopy!) Kimagure Orange☆Road (an 80s anime. a guy with an esper family and love triangle drama)Iroduku: The World in Colors (a depressed girl sees the world in black and white, gets yeeted back in time, and can suddenly see every color at it’s brightest. it does bank on that, the color design is really pretty) Revolutionary Girl Utena (ALSO very surprised this was under 200k. Utena is a classic? oh well. magical lesbians. got No. 30 on NHK’s top 100 list)Ghost Stories (you literally have to watch the dub for maximum enjoyment. has some very very raunchy humor though. about kids fighting ghosts)Boarding School Juliet (i decided to throw this in this category since it has a fictional setting in a fictional country. it’s high school romcom romeo and juilet)

if i did this right then there should be a TON of anime you’ve never heard of before. i went for a hidden gem set of recommendations. XD ...by the way, i genuinely hope you’re doing okay with this virus going around. may you have plenty of toilet paper

[raguna-blade]

Revolutionary Girl Utena 34-39 And The Adolescence of Utena

So hot diggity damn, I finally finished the Series and it’s Sequel movie. (Perhaps it’s not truly a sequel. I will be graceful and acknowledge this as a possibility as I gleefully ignore it because hot damn that movie makes Negative Sense if You haven’t seen the series before (Which I know factually because I’ve watched it multiple times without having seen the series in full proper. That dance scene man) but makes immense amounts of sense if viewed as a sequel. I’m gonna get around to it sooner or later I think, probably sooner since the subject is on my mind, but still) Shit went down. So much has gone down, but the one thing that I can say is that it I am so glad to see that Akio got dunked on in the most pleasing way by the Lady who consistently spat hot fire the entire series.

Also that Dance Scene was SO FUCKING GOOD, LIKE HOLY SHIT GUYS.

Proper Essays and the like to come as I Do a run through thoughts and such, since I got a bunch of them.

Episodes 35-39

Episode 35

Oh Boy prince time again. Oh god. Oh god they changed it again.

I find it interesting that Dios is Still framed pretty sympathetically. He's a solid A plus good guy, but shit goes so horribly wrong that he just...stops. Hm. Wonder if there's a reason WHY he warped so? It doesn't excuse anything but...

Wait, did Utena start recalling everything? Hell of a way to regain your memories.

I do not appreciate the crotch shot here following that last ep.

GODDAMNIT AKIO. YEAH TAKE A WALK AWAY.

This whole scene feels awkward.

Oh damn her face flattened out like whoa. She mad.

Was it Eternity? That warped him...?

What's with the car...?

Also, ….Ok, toga. Car Pyramid too.

Also, is Akio...hm. Oddly Passive? Hm.

Give her a present, say it's from me, and god damnit akio please stop being weird for like 10 seconds.

What's with the carrot in his pocket.

Earrings? Jessu wakaba.

...Wait, was this to tilt TOGA? But why would that do it?

Prince Mystique. I think this shit was actually supposed to til him.

I think Akio actually fucking played Touga. HE THOUGHT THEY WERE PARTNERS AND YOU GOT PLAYED!

Yeah, Touga is fucking TILTED.

He looks so put off right now. Like he's...off. He's off in a way the others haven't been.

Saionji here reading him like a book. Jesus Saionji is tearing him a new one.

Used people like tools and it made you strong IN THE PAST.

Shadow Girls? Feels super early, but it's the second half of the episode. But what's the deal with fish...Oh, fish in the sea. Girls exist to be exploited? Huh...Toga I guess....A Mermaid? Oh, a fish and a personality

LEFT THE BED. OH NO. The earrings. Also, I dislike the soft lovely lovey dovey shading here. Just feels...like liesssssssssssss

Anthy.

He thinks he won the game. He wants her to be a princess.

A princess who will revolutionze the world.

Oh Shit the elevator! It's been too long.

Is it the bros time?

Never come out of this coffin. Is everyone dead here?

Saionji: YOU LOVE HER BRO?

TOUGA: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Final Letter? Hm..Why the play? But I'm making this call. Akio's not actually end of the world?

Saionji: YOU SURE YOU WANNA BE LIKE HIM?

But for real dudes, why you strippin.

...Oh is chuchu a familiar? Or some part of anthy?

Anthy is not having it. AND SH what the fuck WHAT THE FUCK WE JUST GONNA IGNORE HER SPURTING INTO SWORDS?

Honestly, all of this is half making me wonder about the black rose arc cause it feels...mad out of place? It got excised from canon but...hm.

Episode 36

This yinyang shit is increasingly worrisome.

Elevator again? Also, how long has it been since we've seen the rest of the student council. And why does Touga think he needs to beat her to save her?

Hm....

Is the coffin (Coffins) Ohotori? Is this some weird purgatory? Would explain shadow seminar guy.

You sound sincere when you say that. IMPLYING HE DOESN”T THE REST OF THE TIME.

DON'T KISS AND LOOK ALL DREAMY FUCK YOU AKIO. FUCK YOU

WHY CANT THESE GUYS CLOSE A SHIRT?

Oh Stuco? Please be the heroes we need.

Juri: SOMETHING IS WRONG

Miki: WELL SHEIS A GIRL BUT...Uh...I mean that's good? Right? Something is off.

Oh Boy. Revolution TIME.

….What...what are they doing. What's with the  Bike...? Also, the metaphor shit makes me uh..Hm.

Touga: GETTING SECOND THOUGHTS.

Saionji tries to copy akio, and immediately shot down, shits dumb.

Shirt open utena? Copying princly(???) manners there.

Night Dueling...?

So...what's up Touga?

REAL STARS. SEEING REAL STARS FOR THE FIRST TIME!

And it shows the castle? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Man, touga realizing he fucked up but big.

I'm not sure if he's fucking around or for real right now. This is a cute as hell moment i'll grant, but suspect. Touga's got a history.

So he does care. Oh...So that's why he has to win. To keep her away from Akio? But...what's up with that.

...So is Saionji to Anthy as Touga is to Utena? Huh...?

Shadow Time...? Prince of the Horse and the Prince...uh...Hm.

Apocalypse time Hoo boy.

Huh. The Roses growing in anthy's clothes....I wonder if they're supposed to be sorta like...Swords? Analagous to Swords.

Touga and Saionji...Yeah I think that's a HARD ass confirm there. Wait oh my god really?????

That no budget though.

….Touga said he'd protect her and....EVERYTHING GOT REALLY FUCKING WEIRD. THE CARS. ANTHY

Oh man the cars are getting HOT wrecked.

Yo. YO GUYS THIS IS DOPE.

Are the cars the dudes/princes familiars...?

Is it over for us?

BEWARE THE ROSE BRIDE AND END OF THE WORLD

hoo boy. That's...a long ass pause there. And whispering akios name and YEESH SWORDS

oh god is it happening? Oh god it might be happening.

OH FUCK IT HAPPENED. AND SHE LOOKS BROKEN AS SHIT RIGHT NOW.

Utena is...uh...not here right now.

Nanami was RIGHT THE WHOLE TIME. TRIFLING AS HELL AS SHE WAS SHE WAS RIGHT.

ALSO BLUE HAIR AND JURI MIRROR UTENA AND TOUGA OK GOT IT. Shiori is Anthy then I guess.

Utena don't you know how much i've despised you? HOLY SHIT

Episode 37

Hey, Hey, Utena. SHITS FUCKED. ITS HIS FAULT.

DON'T TAKE THE RING OFF OH FUCK. She remembers. Oh boy. Ohhhhhhhhboy.

Only realizing how many fake ass stars are in the apartment.

Anthy is acting more robotic than usual.

Forgive Me! Chuchu.

Oh, the Rose bundle has the whole set of colors don't it. Yep. Orange, green, blue, yellow, red.

End of the World doesn't want things to change?

You two just gonna...just gonna admit how close you are. Touga. Saionji.

Anthy can hear the car noises. If you can still hear it.

GOD I HATE THIS MAN SO MUCH.

Anthy on her mind.

No star mention huh. Stars don't interest him....Hm.

Only place you can see stars are in Anthy and Utena's room.

Is this the first time we've seen utena in red?

….I JUST realized how immensely creepy this picture taking thing is from Akio. Somehow.

Anthy: My brother loves you as well miss utena.

Oh she's fucking up the ball game.

I love this life, I hope our feelings stay the same between the three of us.

Well fucking up the ballgame is off. But falling out the pattern. Never a good sign.

Juri and Miki to the rescue?

Utena is chosen to bring the world revolution. And she doesn't...want it. Been playing prince..So you could make yourself a prince.

Juri: What're you gonna do about anthy. You love her right. You...You know that right?

Nanami to the rescue. YOU KNOW YOU'RE BEING TRICKED YOU MORONS. STAY AWAY FROM AKIO AND ANTHY.

Nanami is a good girl, if a bit of a bitch..

Kozue watching like a hawk.

Miki: Hey I'm a bit in love with you.

Juri: COINCIDENCE?

Duel for her huh. HUH?

Shadow Girls...Why aliens crashing into the tower?

Utena's the Actress here. Shadow Girls OTP. Only one girl can be chosen at the audition.

So, a taste of the princess life?

Hoo boy...Why does he look so fucking angry. Also Anthy with the uh...weirdly sexual pains there.

What do you wanna do in the future Anthy?

Cantarella. A Deadly Poison. Why...are you just bringing that up. Poisoned Tea and cookies...huh?

What's with the record skip.

BOTH OF US TOGETHER 10 YEARS FROM NOW. Yes it would be nice. Just...Just ask her out utena. Please.

...Why are you on the ledge Anthy. uh...Is this a suicide HO SHIT.

I just can't go on. Anthy just...legit tried to kill herself? She just tried to kill herself.

Devoted to true friendship? A gullible fool?

Anthy. You can still turn back huh. Ring On. Prince Mode Engaged. Let's just fucking go.

Episode 38

APOCALYPSE AT THE START? UH. UH PATTERN BREAK? Uh...Shit.

Last two eps, now is the time I guess.

Hold Hands in the face of the End of the World. Let's goooooo

So...That's Dios. And Akio in front. So they're not the same person. For sure.

The Castle where a prince and princess will live together happily

WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED TO ANTHY JESSU CHRIST THAT WAS SCARY.

Rose Bride Utena.Make her into a rose bride. Hit him utena.

Yes, what does happen to Anthy. Rose Bride forever. Swords for ever.

Oh are they building on the suicide thing? Please and thanks.

Oh anthy REALLY wants to die. Like she is not even trying to stay alive.

The Rose Bride, a doll with no heart, to be abused and used huh.

Anthy and Utena finally having a heart to heart.

...Kinda feel like they're talking past each other though?

TAKE BACK THE SWORD.

Dios on her side.

The Prince and Castle are illusions. So that include the school...?

Uh...Uh...the star gazing room? Planeterium, that's the word.

Akio's room is the tip top. Casts Illusions.

Is it so wrong? YES FUCKER JESUS.

YOU ARE AN ADULT YOU FUCK. ITS NOT POSSIBLE TO BE FAIR.

You never tried to understand anthy. Huh...

They are throwing so much here. Like god damn.

Akio claims

HELLAVATOR?

He's trying so hard to get that sword from Utena.

He's...crying?

JUST A WITCH.

OH GOD THE SHELL. ITS BEEN SO LONG!

Nanami too!?

Smash the Worlds shell....oh the end of the world.

The Revolution Duel Has Begun huh.

Akio with his off brand Utena Outfit.

Real Combat huh?

Akio is REFUSING to explain himself. Which is markedly different since he's the only adult here.

I'm Gonna be a Prince...Oh shit is this the duel opening shot. Illusory construct. Oh boy. Oh boy that shit was literal wasn't it.

Anthy...? She looks uh...Not Ok.

Akio isn't though. He's looking uh...Bad too.

ANTHY? ANTHY?! WHAT TU FUCK? THATS HOW YOU END THE EPISODE?!

HOW YOU GONNA STAB UTENA LIKE THAT?

EPISODE 39

uh...pattern breaking again. Where's the opening. Last time to break a pattern I guess. Chance to.

FUCKING STABBED HER! WHY.

You remind me of Dios. But you can never be my prince cause you're a girl.

uh.

Uhhhhhhh.

The Duel Named Revolution. Utena is...Her Their Representative.? She's their Rep.

A boy saved juri's sister, and died. They can't recall his name. Uh...hm.

Y'all just gonna have corn cookin though.

Anthy....?

Do you hate what i've become? Why is he crying?

Y'all just gonna leave Utena dying.

His knowledge is absolute. He chose this path. Claims to love her. FUCK HIM UP.

He couldn't win with his sword, so he stole utenas.

UTENA HANGIN ON.

Stubborn and reckless hero. A taste of true friendship.

OH FUCK THATS A LOT OF SWORDS

Shine with with human hatred. Summoned and deflected by Utena's sword?

HEY HEY WAIT A SECOND. THE FIRST SWORD THAT STRUCK HER IS DIOS/AKIOS. HEY WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE.

Takes the sword in place of the prince. Destiny of the Rose bride huh. And he's sitting here saying she chose this? YOU TALKED HER INTO IT ASSHOLE.

AND HE CAN'T EVE DO IT WITH THE SWORD HE WANTED SO BADLY.

So...Dios...Again. Through the door eternity, and the power to change things. Well damn fuck dios too.

It's interesting that Dios is presented as a powerful figure, but is ultimately pretty impotent here. He holds absolute power but cannot act? HUH.

Broke her sword huh.

Akio: I COULDn'T DO IT SO YOU CAN'T EITHER. FUCKING DUMBASS

Utena; FUCKING TRY ME. THIS SHIT IS GOIN DOWN.

Oh, friend pointed it out. Roses are all her color.

No power, you can't do anything. Just be dependent.

Utena: FUCK OFF. FUCK THIS DOOR. ANTHY

HAVENTS SEEN THIS SHIT IN A WHILE!

And the swords stopped.

Just realized how childish the prince is...

Oh hey a coffin. And her hands are bloody.

Oh...I think HES gonna have to deal with these swords now.

It's anthy in the coffin. Of course. Tracks.

Don't be afraid of the world says baby Utena. Word.

AT LAST WE MEET!? Yeah that tracks. That. Yeah. She's not being the rose bride. She's being Anthy.

TAKE HER HAND ANTHY GODDAMNIT

While i'm thinking, the whole edifice of end of the worlds power broke down.

Someday together. Uh. Uhhhhhh. Hey. Hey wait a minute.

HEY NO THATS NOT COOL. In the end I couldn't be a prince. Forgive me.

The Swords are...Uh...Utena. UTENA! oh..oh shit.

Wakaba. Hero.

Shadow Girls gonna be an actress. 10 year reunion.

Who was Utena again...? uh.. Utena Hopitalized? Uh...Hey wait a second.

Everyone seems to be..going on.

They're all forgetting she ever existed.

He really doesn't realize what happened.

She vanished from your world. Huh.

Oh hey she's in utena's colors. Well maybe her colors.

I SWEAR I'LL FIND YOU. HEY WAIT.

Hey Final frame Utena and Anthy. ALRIGHT.

MAY THIS ROSE REACH YOU.

NOW THE MOVIE

Revolutionary Girl Utena The Adolescence of Utena

Ok, so this isn't the movie proper, just the dvd thing, but Man Anthy looks super. She looks actually kinda confident and active and alive I guess?

Anyway, I'm going into this assuming it's some kind of sequel. I'm looking for that anyway. Whether it's true uh..We'll see.

HERE WE GO

Anthy and Akio on the tower? And now Just Anthy. At the toppest point where things were controlled right?

….what the fuck is this geometry.

Music still slaps.

I'm sure those pictures were supposed to mean something but fuck if I know what.

...What the hell.

Utena!? SHORT HAIR SHARP DRESSED!

Wakaba! Utena being the charmingest though.

On Air? Shadow Girl Radio! Listen Carefully!

This academy is castelvania.

Shadow girls: Dumped again? Rain on her parade? Huh.

Utena's Pavlor Instincts: PRINCE?! PRINCE WHERE!?

Budget yo. Miki and Juri though man. Juri's not a bad choice for prince.

Juri has like 8 times as much hair. Like Damn. Your Rival

Hey it's Touga! Utena is SHOOK

...The Rose Thing is BUSTED.  Just straight wrecked. The Garden. That's the word.

Hey touga what's with the spooky ghost bullshit.

HOW MANY YEARS HAS IT BEEN SINCE WE LAST MET.

I didn't come here looking for you. Surprised you're here.

I'll live with high goals.

More of a pink rose really. Unfurls to reveal...the ring? Huh. Rose Rain now.

Oh...That's DEFFINITELY the highest place in the academy. Structurally uh...uh.......

The Rose Gate looks fucked up. Oh that's a lot of roses. Didn't anthy say something about tending roses...?

Are you not afraid? Anthy looks...really happy. Her hair is down.

I'm the only one captive to the roses. Why'd you come here?

Why'd you come to this academy? And Anthy stopped when she saw the ring. And kinda freaked out.

How do you know about that. Heyyyyyyyyyyy. Saionji.

Rose brides symbol. She's holding that pink/white flower pretty tight though.

Anthy just...kinda went back into robo mode there. And she's not...precisely feeling the ring thing.

Meanwhile, that gate effect.

Do you have a sword? (you know nothing. Last chance to take it off please.)

Utena. A broom ain't a sword, but yeah fuck him up. Ain't worse than what you.

Anthy slap count. But she's active here. She's being a person here unlike before which is.

Anthy is covering her ears.

You're the one who doesn't understand. Is there any girl who's happy to be treated like a possession.

I NEVER SAID THAT I WAS A BOY. FUCK OFF.

Anthy looking hopeful there. DIVE. YOU're NOT ALLOWED TO DUEL WITHOUT A SWORD.

And...Is this song from the original but better but....

Anthy and utena got back into the swing asap. Long Hair Utena returns. Prince Utena rather I guess.

GG Saionji.

PINK MOSTLY! ITS PINK MOSTLY! NOT RED. A LITTLE RED! OH MY GOD THIS MIGHT BE A LEGIT SEQUEL!? Kinda sorta. I'll have to explain myself later.

Touga and Utena are cute as kids. Look at em.

Anthy just...asserted herself.

I don't usually invite people to my room. And then you pull her onto your bed.

Mark of the rose, you know it don't you?

Uh...uh damn Anthy. She's just....straight up feeling up Utena. Looked shocked then certain.

Dreaming of the castle with the prince.

Kozue what are ...what's up with this room. Her prince drowned huh?

Probably the closest we'll get to duelist wakaba here.

Also trying to win her. Well I guess you could say he's here for the dueling.

Hey, Touga don't kiss and tell.

These two are...oddly friendly.

Touga, don't talk to Akio. It's never good.

Calling her a witch.

Prince was a lord of the flies. The witch turned them into a prince.

Wait, not Kozue, that was shiori.

KOZUE, just put a knife to her brothers throat. OK.

Uh...Sold to your father...? Where's nanami though. Calling him a customer makes this uh...infinitely skeeziesr.

Wow Shiori seems a bit uh...

Oh yeah, that's no good. Goddamn poor touga.

Touga: I will win. But I can't be cruel to Juri. High goals man.

This darkness leads to the end of the world....And Dios being a goddamn Cryptid.

The Revolution will begin soon.

Miki: My wish is to obtain more power.

Juri: I want power to be free. To be unconstrained.

Touchy Juri is cool. Big Big Sister Energy there.

Shiori being MAD damicky right now. Trifling. Just absorb Nanami or something?

Miki: Free from Constraints. I get it. Yeeeeeee.

Anthy Please step away from the edge. And you just flash stepped to the center. ok.

Utena is WAY more expressive here too.

“There is no prince” That's...pretty chilling coming from utena actually. And Anthy is so damn touchy feely.

Uh. Uhhhhhhh. ok. Axe antics.

But not in utena which is a step up.

Ooh the ground is mad pretty.

And the starrrs. YoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Anthy! Looking mad gentle and sweet here. Duelist Utena! And Rose Bride Anthy!

Oh shit. This dance scene is...And it's their reflections .

NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME PASSES DON'T FORGET THTA PROMISE. IVE COME ALL THIS WAY AT LAST!

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE LIGHT IS ALWAYS SHINING!

THEIR EXPRESSIOSN AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

Oh it's the oninon boy.

Draw Each Other huh! eyebrow waggle

Anthy where the hell are you going.What the. And it's the tower huh.

It's just an obvservation room now though huh. Or in this version.

Anthy, smiles when she takes off the ring. SEQUEL VIBE INCREASES.

Anthy, is unquestionably the one in charge this movie. Compared to before. She's way more impish.

Like...How the hell did you talk her into posing nude exactly?

Utena. Utena are you asking her to strip- ANTHY!

Uh what's that sound. WHAT ARE THESE PICTURES? Uh...Uh...wait what's up with the anthy here.

Ok, so Akio/dios being a weirdo again....and there is a fucking hole in her chest. A big honking hole.

SHADOW TIMES:...

Is...Is that nanmi. There's Chuchu and nanami yep, ok. OK. Oh it's the three dudes too.

You had limitless budget and you put this shit in.

...What the fuck was that though. Crocodile kun.

Hey Akio looking...Cool as usual. But is he still awful?

Record skips. Great.

Did he roofie his sister.

Hey fuck that noise WE DUEL NOW

VS JURI

...People can SEE them dueling?

What's with Shiori though.

Juri once again, being a boss. Also, I just noticed that all of their outfits have gotten an upgrade.

...Miki what do you mean who is Touga.

Juri is...WAY madder about her pretending to princedom than before.

Dios Overlay. And Anthy seemed shocked.

…....A Dead Akio. And he was buried under the ground. And Anthy looked...kinda...pissed.

Anthy killed Akio. And Shiori? Out here pulling shit?

...Oh Akio thought she was asleep when he pulled his shit. Hoooooboy.

Oh the interview room. Shadow room?

Akio freaking the fuck out and he killed her.

And he's dead. Pretty pathetically actually.

Deffo the shadow seminar. Hellavator!

...Touga?

So castle showed up when she killed her brother.

Is...Touga dead.

They keep going back to this drowning kid.

Hero Touga. The Touga we deserve.

Well he died in water and not fire, so...Go him. Seemed pretty chill about it.

I finally found you utena. Power of miracles as long as you stay here.

Pull the sword out and just put that shit back in.

Let's get the fuck out of here-CARRED

TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Best version of the Apocalypse song, but why a fucking carwwash. Who thought this made sense. It's DOPE to look at but like damn man.

Utena makes a DOPE car though. Like that shit looks awesome. SHES RUSTING  ANTHY. PUT THE KEY IN HER.

Shadow Radio! Hot Damn, Kage OS looks DOPE.

They're all pink haired shadow gals. Which is neat.

Wacky Races Yo.

BIG MISTAKE THINKING YOURE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN TURN INTO A CAR.

Only one who escapes this world. The only one who deserves it is beautiful me. Well...Rip Shiori.

OH ITS THE SWORDS. THEY'RE THE SWORDS.

Ok, this makes CONSIDERABLY more sense if you think of it as a sequel I think.

Needs help? Stuco Squad is there for youuuuuuuuu.

Or at least those who remain.

….WAKABA IS THE JEEP!?

Saionji: I have your back. And when we get to the outside world, I will be there to seduce. The fucking dork.

Oh hey it's the castle making what I must assume is it's last appearance....Oh that's ominous. Das big.

THAT OPENING THEME YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Still freaking weird, but Shadow Girls got your back..

HYE THATS CHEATING!

Oh hey, it's everyone's favorite dickhead.

Where you can be a living corpse.

You can only be a prince in that world.

Goodbye brother, you are no longer my prince.

Hey Akio, how is it you're still the worst.

The balancing act there is crazy like damn you two.

Shadow Girls no more! But we'll miss you.

Anthy Himemiya and Utena Tenjou as the Shadow Girls huh.

Man, the real world looks like shit. (?real World?)

The logistics of it aside, that's a hell of a cool shot.

Return to the outside world we're from. Explore and make the world bigger. Ok. Ok. I get you.

Also. That made LESS sense with context.